Danielle Ate the Sandwich

Danielle Anderson (aka Danielle Ate the Sandwich) has said that a lot of her music is really bright and dreamy and whimsical; take a look at pretty much any of the singer-songwriter's YouTube videos, and you'll see a cute, bubbly gal having a lot of fun singing and playing her ukulele. But Like a King — the followup to 2010's Two Bedroom Apartment — feels much heavier than that. This thirteen-track album reveals a more mature Anderson, one who delves into darker material at times, as on "Bright Flashes" or "When Our Parents Die." Not everything is different, though: While Anderson's growth as a songwriter is a welcome change and her voice is a bit more pure and crisp here, hints of her trademark playfulness are still scattered throughout the album.